Definitions
Howe [hou]

Howe

[hou]
Howe, Clarence Decatur, 1886-1960, Canadian civil engineer and cabinet minister, b. Waltham, Mass. He went to Canada in 1908 as professor of civil engineering at Dalhousie Univ. He founded (1916) an engineering firm that became internationally famous for its design and construction of grain elevators. He entered the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal in 1935 and was at once invited by Mackenzie King to join the cabinet as minister of railways and canals and minister of marine. He merged the two agencies into the ministry of transport in 1936 and thereafter devoted himself to the development of air transportation, founding and organizing the Trans-Canada Air Lines. Soon after the outbreak of World War II, he was appointed (1940) minister of munitions and supply and in 1944 accepted concurrent appointment as minister of reconstruction. He became minister of trade and commerce in 1948. In 1957 he resigned the post when the Liberal party was defeated. From 1957 until his death he was chancellor of Dalhousie Univ.
Howe, Edgar Watson, 1853-1937, American editor and author, b. Treaty, near Wabash, Ind. From 1877 to 1911 he was editor and proprietor of the Atchison, Kans., Daily Globe, and in 1911 he established E. W. Howe's Monthly. Published until 1937, this periodical was noted for Howe's pithy editorials. His first and generally considered best book is The Story of a Country Town (1883), among the first realistic novels of small-town life in the Midwest and a precursor of the naturalistic novel in American fiction. Always a champion of the common people, Howe was nicknamed the "Sage of Potato Hill."

See his autobiography, Plain People (1929).

Howe, Elias, 1819-67, American inventor, b. Spencer, Mass. He was apprenticed in 1838 to an instrument maker and watchmaker in Boston at whose suggestion he turned his attention to devising a sewing machine. He exhibited his first machine in 1845 and patented another in 1846. No financial backing was secured in the United States, and in 1846 a third machine was sold in England, together with all rights in Great Britain, to William Thomas. Howe worked with Thomas in London to produce a machine to stitch leather. After a breach between the two, Howe returned to the United States to find his machine being manufactured by others. He brought several suits (including one against Isaac M. Singer) for infringement of patent and finally obtained a judgment for royalty in 1854. With the royalties earned through an extension of his patent (1861-67), he supported during the Civil War an infantry regiment in which he served as a private and in 1865 established in Bridgeport, Conn., the Howe Machine Company.
Howe, Gordie (Gordon Howe), 1928-, Canadian hockey player. One of the great forwards in the game's history, he played with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (1947-71), leading the league in scoring six times and winning Most Valuable Player honors six times. He then retired, but in 1973, with his sons Mark and Marty, joined the new World Hockey Association (WHA). He won the WHA's Most Valuable Player award in 1974 and retired again in 1980 as the career professional leader in goals (801) and assists (1,049); both records have since been broken by Wayne Gretzky.
Howe, Irving, 1920-93, American literary and social critic, b. New York City. From his early days as a Trotskyist to his later (and lifelong) position as a democratic socialist, Howe criticized Stalinism and left-wing totalitarianism. His roles as a cofounder (1954) of Dissent magazine and frequent contributor to such journals as the Partisan Review, New Republic, and New York Review of Books made him influential in the New York literary world. His many books include William Faulkner: A Critical Study (1952), Politics and the Novel (1957), The Critical Point (1974), World of Our Fathers (1978), Socialism and America (1985), and A Critic's Notebook (1994). Howe, who was a professor at the City Univ. of New York, also played a key role in introducing Yiddish literature to America.

See his autobiography, A Margin of Hope (1982); biography by G. Sorin (2003).

Howe, John, 1630-1705, English Puritan clergyman. As domestic chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, he advocated religious toleration. After the Restoration, he preached in secret (1662-71) until, becoming chaplain to Lord Massereene of Antrim Castle, Ireland, he turned his attention to writing. He eventually settled at Utrecht until the Declaration of Indulgence (1687) permitted his return to England. Howe's principal work is The Living Temple of God, an expression of his Puritanism. It is included in his collected works (1724).
Howe, Joseph, 1804-73, Canadian journalist and political leader, b. Halifax, N.S. In 1828, Howe became proprietor and editor of the Nova Scotian, which under his direction became the leading journal of the province. In 1836 he entered the provincial assembly and assumed leadership of his reform party; there and in his newspaper he continued his campaign for responsible government until the demands of his reform party were granted in 1848. From 1848 to 1854 he was provincial secretary; from 1860 to 1863 he was premier. Howe worked ardently for education and for an intercolonial railroad to link the Maritime Provinces with Canada proper. Although an early advocate of union, he opposed confederation. Even after confederation had been achieved (1867) he continued his opposition, but realizing the hopelessness of his position, he entered (1869) John Macdonald's dominion cabinet as president of the council, losing by this act many of his supporters in Nova Scotia. When he retired in 1873 to accept appointment as lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, his homecoming was marked by little enthusiasm. He died soon after assuming office.

See Joseph Howe (ed. by J. M. Beck, 1964); biographies by J. W. Longley (rev. ed. 1926) and J. A. Roy (1935).

Howe, Julia Ward, 1819-1910, American author and social reformer, b. New York City. She assisted her husband, Samuel Gridley Howe, in his philanthropic projects and in editing the Boston Commonwealth, an abolitionist paper. Her first book of poetry was published in 1854. Mrs. Howe wrote and lectured in behalf of woman suffrage, African-American emancipation, and other causes, and helped found a world peace organization. In Nov., 1861, after watching Union troops march into battle, she wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," her most famous work. It was published in the Atlantic Monthly in Feb., 1862. The American Academy of Arts and Letters elected her as its first woman member (1908). Besides writing several volumes of poetry, she was the author of Sex and Education (1874), Modern Society (1881), and a biography of Margaret Fuller (1883).

See her Reminiscences, 1819-1899 (1899); biographies by her daughters L. E. Richards and M. H. Elliott (1915, repr. 1970) and by V. H. Ziegler (2004); L. H. Tharp, Three Saints and a Sinner (1956).

Howe, Richard Howe, Earl, 1726-99, British admiral; elder brother of Viscount Howe. He won early recognition in the Seven Years War for his operations in the English Channel. After the outbreak of the American Revolution, he was given (1776) command of the North American fleet. He and his brother were commissioned to seek a peaceful settlement of the dispute with the colonies, but negotiations at Staten Island in 1776 came to nothing, and he supported (1777) his brother's successful campaign against Philadelphia. In 1778 he outmaneuvered the French fleet under the comte d'Estaing in its attempt to cooperate with land troops to take British-held Newport, R.I. He resigned later that year, but in 1782 he assumed command of the Channel fleet and relieved the siege of Gibraltar. Howe is best remembered for his decisive victory over the French fleet in the battle called the First of June in 1794. Created Earl Howe in 1788, he was popularly known as Black Dick.

See I. D. Gruber, The Howe Brothers and the American Revolution (1972).

Howe, Samuel Gridley, 1801-76, American reformer and philanthropist, b. Boston, Mass., grad. Brown, 1821, M.D. Harvard, 1824. He began his life-long service to others by going to Greece to aid in its war for independence and spent six years there. He is best remembered for his work with the blind; he was the organizer of the New England Asylum for the Blind (now the Perkins School for the Blind) and was its head for 44 years. The remarkable success of the education of Laura Bridgman, who was both blind and deaf, did much to improve the education of the disabled in the United States. He was chairman of the Massachusetts state board of charities from 1865 to 1874. He also supported Dorothea Dix in her work for the insane, sought to help the mentally retarded, approved the educational reforms of Horace Mann, and with his wife, Julia Ward Howe, strongly and vocally opposed slavery. The troubles in Crete (1866-67) took him again to Greece.

See his letters and journals (1906-9); biographies by H. Schwartz (1956) and M. Meltzer (1964); E. Freeberg, The Education of Laura Bridgman (2001); E. Gitter, The Imprisoned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman (2001).

Howe, William Howe, 5th Viscount, 1729-1814, English general in the American Revolution; younger brother of Admiral Richard Howe. He took up a military career, and in the last of the French and Indian Wars served with distinction at the capture of Louisburg and in the fight for Quebec (1759). He took part in the Havana expedition of 1762. In 1775 he arrived at Boston with British reinforcements for Gen. Thomas Gage, and he was a commander in the battle of Bunker Hill. He was knighted and succeeded (Oct., 1775) Gage as commander in chief in the colonies (the command in Canada being given to Gen. Guy Carleton). In 1776 he withdrew his men from besieged Boston to Halifax, then (May, 1776) went with his brother Richard to Staten Island. After negotiations for a peaceful settlement failed, Howe led his troops in the successful battle of Long Island, captured New York City, and defeated the Continental Army at White Plains. Although he gained control over SE New York and much of New Jersey, Howe missed several opportunities to capture George Washington's army. In 1777 he did not take the part planned for him in the British strategy in the Saratoga campaign. Instead he launched a successful drive for Philadelphia, defeating Washington in the battle of Brandywine. He later repelled an attack on Germantown and held his position in Philadelphia, but again, as at New York, he did not wipe out the Continental forces. Charging that he was not properly supported by the home government, he resigned and in 1778 returned to England. His command in America was taken over by Sir Henry Clinton. On his brother's death in 1799, Howe succeeded to the Irish title, becoming 5th Viscount Howe.

See biography by B. Partridge (1932); T. S. Anderson, The Command of the Howe Brothers during the American Revolution (1936, repr. 1971); I. D. Gruber, The Howe Brothers and the American Revolution (1972).

(born Aug. 10, 1729—died July 12, 1814, Plymouth, Devonshire, Eng.) British military commander. The brother of Adm. Richard Howe, he fought in the last French and Indian War (1754–63), in which he earned a reputation as one of the army's most brilliant young generals. In the American Revolution, he succeeded Thomas Gage as supreme commander of British forces in North America in 1776. He soon captured New York City and the surrounding area, and in 1777 he led British troops to victories at the Battles of the Brandywine and of Germantown. Moving his forces to Philadelphia, he left troops under John Burgoyne vulnerable in New York state, thus contributing to the British defeat at the Battles of Saratoga. He resigned in 1778 and was succeeded by Henry Clinton.

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orig. Julia Ward

Julia Ward Howe, 1902.

(born May 27, 1819, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 17, 1910, Newport, R.I.) U.S. abolitionist and social reformer. Born to a well-to-do family, she was educated privately. In 1843 she married educator Samuel Gridley Howe and took up residence in Boston. For a while she and her husband published the Commonwealth, an abolitionist newspaper. During a visit to an army camp near Washington, D.C., in 1861, she wrote a poem, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” to be set to an old folk tune also used for “John Brown's Body.” Published in February 1862 in The Atlantic Monthly, it became the semiofficial Civil War song of the Union Army, and Howe became famous. After the war she involved herself in the woman suffrage movement, helping to found and serving as president of the New England Woman Suffrage Association (1868–77, 1893–1910). She also wrote travel books, biography, drama, verse, and children's songs and edited Woman's Journal (1870–90). In 1908 she became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Learn more about Howe, Julia Ward with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Aug. 10, 1729—died July 12, 1814, Plymouth, Devonshire, Eng.) British military commander. The brother of Adm. Richard Howe, he fought in the last French and Indian War (1754–63), in which he earned a reputation as one of the army's most brilliant young generals. In the American Revolution, he succeeded Thomas Gage as supreme commander of British forces in North America in 1776. He soon captured New York City and the surrounding area, and in 1777 he led British troops to victories at the Battles of the Brandywine and of Germantown. Moving his forces to Philadelphia, he left troops under John Burgoyne vulnerable in New York state, thus contributing to the British defeat at the Battles of Saratoga. He resigned in 1778 and was succeeded by Henry Clinton.

Learn more about Howe, William Howe, 5th Viscount with a free trial on Britannica.com.

orig. Julia Ward

Julia Ward Howe, 1902.

(born May 27, 1819, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 17, 1910, Newport, R.I.) U.S. abolitionist and social reformer. Born to a well-to-do family, she was educated privately. In 1843 she married educator Samuel Gridley Howe and took up residence in Boston. For a while she and her husband published the Commonwealth, an abolitionist newspaper. During a visit to an army camp near Washington, D.C., in 1861, she wrote a poem, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” to be set to an old folk tune also used for “John Brown's Body.” Published in February 1862 in The Atlantic Monthly, it became the semiofficial Civil War song of the Union Army, and Howe became famous. After the war she involved herself in the woman suffrage movement, helping to found and serving as president of the New England Woman Suffrage Association (1868–77, 1893–1910). She also wrote travel books, biography, drama, verse, and children's songs and edited Woman's Journal (1870–90). In 1908 she became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Learn more about Howe, Julia Ward with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Gordon Howe

Gordie Howe, 1969

(born March 31, 1928, Floral, Sask., Can.) Canadian-born U.S. ice-hockey player, regarded as one of the greatest of all time. In 26 seasons (1945–71) in the NHL, in 25 of them playing right wing with the Detroit Red Wings, he set all-time career records for goals (801), assists (1,049), and points (1,850). (His records were later broken by Wayne Gretzky.) Howe went on to play for or manage non-NHL teams before retiring in 1980. A tough-minded competitor, he was known for the “Gordie Howe hat trick”—a goal, an assist, and a fight.

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(born July 9, 1819, Spencer, Mass., U.S.—died Oct. 3, 1867, Brooklyn, N.Y.) U.S. inventor. A nephew of William Howe, he began work as a mechanic. In 1846 he was granted a patent for the first practical sewing machine. It attracted little attention, and he moved to England and worked to perfect his machine for use with leather and similar materials. When he returned the next year, he found that sewing machines were being widely made and sold; he finally established his patent rights in 1854. His invention soon revolutionized the garment industry. Seealso Isaac Merritt Singer.

Learn more about Howe, Elias with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full Gordon Howe

Gordie Howe, 1969

(born March 31, 1928, Floral, Sask., Can.) Canadian-born U.S. ice-hockey player, regarded as one of the greatest of all time. In 26 seasons (1945–71) in the NHL, in 25 of them playing right wing with the Detroit Red Wings, he set all-time career records for goals (801), assists (1,049), and points (1,850). (His records were later broken by Wayne Gretzky.) Howe went on to play for or manage non-NHL teams before retiring in 1980. A tough-minded competitor, he was known for the “Gordie Howe hat trick”—a goal, an assist, and a fight.

Learn more about Howe, Gordie with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 9, 1819, Spencer, Mass., U.S.—died Oct. 3, 1867, Brooklyn, N.Y.) U.S. inventor. A nephew of William Howe, he began work as a mechanic. In 1846 he was granted a patent for the first practical sewing machine. It attracted little attention, and he moved to England and worked to perfect his machine for use with leather and similar materials. When he returned the next year, he found that sewing machines were being widely made and sold; he finally established his patent rights in 1854. His invention soon revolutionized the garment industry. Seealso Isaac Merritt Singer.

Learn more about Howe, Elias with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Howe is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 697 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Howe is located at (34.951369, -94.636980).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (4.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 697 people, 243 households, and 178 families residing in the town. The population density was 449.0 people per square mile (173.6/km²). There were 287 housing units at an average density of 184.9/sq mi (71.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 78.77% White, 0.43% African American, 8.03% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 3.59% from other races, and 8.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.88% of the population.

There were 243 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 109.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,326, and the median income for a family was $28,194. Males had a median income of $20,724 versus $19,167 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,636. About 19.4% of families and 26.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 30.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

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